Just got back from cruising with Royal Caribbean on Adventure of the Seas. Sailing out of Puerto Rico to the islands of Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and St. Thomas with 24/7 coffee available--What could be bad?

Room service is a part of your cruise package so every morning at the hour of my choosing, I had coffee and fresh fruit delivered. My morning coffee hour, an institution for me, is where I greet the day. It is a time of reverence, contemplation and meditation. Sitting on the little balcony of my stateroom while sailing the seas of the Caribbean watching the sun rise, feeling the warm breeze, nothing could be better. Time flies when you are having fun, but beginning my morning like this helps me to capture and hold a bit of that time in my hand, to savor and enjoy before the day rushes by.



These moments got me to wondering about coffee aboard the ship. With coffee being so readily available, it is something we take for granted. While everyone on board the ship is extremely busy, they are also extremely friendly and ready to help with anything you need. I wandered down to the Promenade Deck, a strip of stores where, like your local mall or shopping area, you could get carried away buying everything from jewelry and clothing to cigars and alcohol, just about anything your heart desires. And just like your local mall or shopping strip, there is an inviting café to take a break and have a cup of coffee along with delicious pastries. It is here that I inquired about the coffee.

I caught up with Abisha Pereira, supervisor at Café Promenade. The Café prominently features Seattle’s Best Coffee along with delicious pastries (the cranberry scone was my favorite by far). He informed me that Seattle’s Best is served ship-wide. Curious about what it takes to keep a ship as large as a small city in coffee, I wanted some statistics. Mr. Pereira let me know it takes 48 pounds per day in the Café Promenade alone—24 regular and 24 decaf. Royal Caribbean has their own special blend of Seattle’s Best aptly named Royal Carib-Bean. How cute.

At the guest relations desk, I inquired about the ship-wide coffee statistics. Ship statistics must be a popular inquiry because they had a list of Fun Facts about the ship readily available. Turns out it takes 1,500 pounds of coffee for the week. I certainly had more than my share of coffee while onboard. I generally drink 1-2 cups of coffee, but on a cruise with so many choices around, you quickly abandon your usual habits. I had a delicious Iced Caramel Latte at the Café Promenade, Café Mocha in the dining room and countless cups of coffee in the Windjammer Café. I wonder how many of those pounds were allotted just for me.

Unfortunately, I am back to reality and the only one delivering me a cup of coffee in the morning is me. But for just a moment as I sit and sip and contemplate, I close my eyes, smell that sea air, feel the warm sun and pretend I am still there.